Volume One, Chapter 38: Needs

The driver noticed the flaw through his gaze in the rearview mirror.

The man outside the car was fierce and intimidating, making it clear he had no intention of showing them any mercy. Seeing the driver unmoved, the man prepared to lean in and inspect the cabin. But just as he made the move, a low, cold voice sounded from the back seat.

"Search."

One word, brief yet explosive, as powerful as an atom bomb.

Granted permission, the man's face instantly turned pale, all traces of aggression vanished. He quickly withdrew, bowing his head outside the car.

"So it's Young Master Lu."

He spoke with utmost respect, hastily explaining, "Young Master Lu usually drives himself. I haven't seen this driver before, so I overstepped."

Lu Wenzhou ignored him, merely urging, "Are you still searching?"

The man, drenched in sweat, swallowed hard. After exchanging a look with his companion, they both stepped back, "Sorry to bother you, Young Master Lu."

With those words, the pair hurriedly turned away, communicating on their walkie-talkies as they continued the search at a brisk pace.

Once the men had departed, Jiang Wan, who had been kneeling with her hands over her head, felt all strength drain from her in an instant. She collapsed onto the floor mat, her breathing deep and heavy.

In the silent space, only her gasps could be heard.

Lu Wenzhou sat still, unmoving.

Jiang Wan didn't need to look up to feel his icy gaze fixed upon her.

"Thank you..." she managed, biting her lip, the words barely coming out. "Could you... help me out of here?"

From the conversation earlier, she knew the parking lot exits were all blocked by people sent to intercept her. Without Lu Wenzhou, she had no chance of leaving.

He remained silent.

A heavy silence filled the car, the air thick with tension.

Time slipped by without a sound.

Jiang Wan felt tormented, even suspecting he was deliberately making things difficult, taking the opportunity to humiliate her.

Yet she had no strength to resist.

Her pride mattered little compared to the importance of preserving the recording—her leverage for a comeback.

The space seemed to tighten invisibly, the air itself sucked away.

Seeing Lu Wenzhou's continued silence, Jiang Wan forced herself to act.

"Alright, then I won't trouble..." you. She reached for the door.

But before she could finish, a man's hand pulled the handle back, closing the door once more.

Lu Wenzhou's voice followed.

"Is this how you ask for help?"

His gaze weighed on her like a mountain, so heavy she couldn't straighten her back.

"Working at the club for side gigs?"

His tone was displeased, laced with mockery.

Jiang Wan lowered her eyes, enduring the humiliation.

When you need something from others, this is how it goes. Wasn't she used to it by now?

She silently urged herself to stay calm, not let him affect her.

Her indifference only made the atmosphere around the man grow darker.

He looked down at her, surveying her: the tight leather outfit beneath her coat, her exaggerated makeup that rendered her almost unrecognizable, the pungent scent of cheap perfume.

"Do you know what you look like right now?" His tone was harsh.

"I do."

Jiang Wan lifted her head, meeting his gaze.

Her throat was dry, tinged with the taste of blood from her restraint. "A ruthless whore."

Her self-deprecating response sucked the last breath of air from the cabin.

The tension rose.

Though she was in a lowly position, Jiang Wan's eyes shone with stubborn defiance.

That unyielding look, as if he were the enemy king.

Lu Wenzhou's jaw tightened.

The cold aura around him seemed as though it could freeze the world.

"Are you satisfied now, Young Master Lu?"

Jiang Wan asked again, "Will you help me out?"

Her eyes were red with suppressed emotion, as if telling him: if he refused, she would fight her own way out, no matter the cost.

Lu Wenzhou closed his eyes, his voice cold as he instructed the driver, "Drive."

The driver, who hadn't dared to breathe the whole time, immediately obeyed.

The Rolls-Royce left the underground parking lot without obstruction.

Only when the car reached the street outside, illuminated by warm yellow streetlights, did Jiang Wan dare to sit up from the floor mat.

"Please stop just up ahead. Thank you," she said, pointing to a junction ahead for the driver.

But the driver gave no response.

Like a machine, he steered the car expressionlessly.

Jiang Wan frowned.

She turned to look at Lu Wenzhou in the back seat.

He, too, was expressionless, his dark eyes staring ahead, lips parted, his tone calm.

"Once you're in my car, you don't get to decide."

Jiang Wan's expression grew tense. She asked uneasily, "Where are you taking me?"

"Home."

Lu Wenzhou's reply held a double meaning—answering her while also informing the driver of their destination.

His answer surprised Jiang Wan.

Until the car turned onto a completely unfamiliar road, moving farther and farther from the city.

The noise and neon lights of the city were swallowed by the silent night.

Just like the man beside her, dangerously quiet.

Jiang Wan realized only then that his idea of "home" was not the same as hers.

"Stop the car!"

Her tone was near commanding.

But neither man in the car paid her any mind.

"Lu Wenzhou, I'm married!"

She protested, "It's so late, and you want to take a married woman to—"

Before she could finish, the man beside her reached out, his broad, strong hand gripping her chin, forcing her to swallow the rest of her words.

The faint scent of smoke lingered on his fingers, invading her breath, along with his anger.

"You still know to fear me?"

Lu Wenzhou was so furious he laughed, his tone ambiguous as he stared at her. "Did you not consider the consequences when you got in?"

Jiang Wan bit her lip.

She regretted bowing to him earlier, but she knew very well—if she had to do it again, she would make the same choice.

"I just didn't want to be found out..."

Her eyes were lowered, unwilling and fearful.

Wang Dexing had already recognized her; if she were caught and dragged back, all her efforts would be wasted, and he wouldn't let her go easily.

She spoke from the heart, her eyes complicated.

Lu Wenzhou's hand tightened on her chin, then released her with annoyance.

"They won't find you."

His voice was low, words squeezed through gritted teeth. "He went abroad."

Jiang Wan, lost in her own thoughts, missed the last part of his sentence.

Both sank into silence, each lost in their own minds.

The Rolls-Royce drove toward the outskirts, finally stopping in the front garden of a villa built halfway up the mountain.

Looking through the window at the familiar building outside, Jiang Wan frowned.

"Isn't this... Yixin Garden?"